Seventeen-year-old Darnell Whitford was shot and killed on the night of Friday, July 14, 2023, while walking with a female friend near Dexter and Waldo streets in Providence, Rhode Island. A car approached, an argument erupted between Darnell and the vehicle’s occupants, and Darnell was struck at close range in the stomach. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and died of his injuries.

Darnell was a standout athlete and leader for the West Warwick Steelers football team. He is survived by his parents, Jeniffer Robinson and Robert S. Whitford, and three siblings. Providence detectives identified 24-year-old Samuel Medina as a suspect, obtained an arrest warrant, and indicated up to three other males who were with Medina might face charges. Medina, who was on probation at the time, turned himself in about a month after the shooting and was later indicted on multiple felonies including first-degree murder; a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf and he was ordered held without bail.

If anyone has information about what happened that night or knew Darnell, please come forward with any details that could help the ongoing investigation.